A hydrostatic transmission is similar in many ways to the gearbox on an automatic car, forward and reverse speeds are infinitely variable. To move forward you simply press the forward pedal and the more firmly you press the faster you will go. For reverse, press the reverse pedal. You can change from forward to reverse instantly, so manoeuvrability is fantastic. It is worth noting that once a customer owns a hydrostatic Mountfield tractor they don’t want to go back to a manual version.
Grass cuttings are blown from the twin bladed cutter deck into a large capacity rear mounted collector. An alarm sounds to let the driver know when the collector is full. This is a valuable feature, as there is nothing worse than overfilling the collector and then having to unblock the discharge chute by hand – at least you know when the collector is full on a Mountfield!
Emptying the collector is done from the driving seat; simply pull the dump lever and the collector opens wide emptying out the clippings, you don’t need to get off the tractor at all. Engaging the cutter deck is simple; just pull the control switch out for “On” and push it in for “Off”. Selecting a suitable height of cut is easy too; a lever located conveniently at the driver’s left hand side has seven preset cutting heights ranging from 30mm to 90mm. No tools are necessary and the cutting height can also be adjusted on the move.
A deck wash facility means keeping the deck clean couldn’t be easier. Simply attach a hose to the snap-on connector, turn on the water and engage the blades. Water blasts around beneath the deck washing it clean – job done!
Mountfield lawn tractors are extremely versatile machines, they can collect the grass clippings or if required rear discharge them. They can also mulch and recycle your grass!
Mulching grass is a great feature as it saves so much time. It can be more than 30% quicker as there is no stopping work to drive to the tip to empty clippings so this also results in a significant fuel saving. Mulching the grass allows the clippings to be recycled, improving the soil as they decompose forming a natural fertiliser high in potash and nitrogen. You will notice a marked improvement in your grass as this fertiliser takes effect over the course of the cutting season. You may well ask “Will I see the mulched grass?” The answer is “No!” Mulched clippings are blown down into the turf and are not noticeable provided the grass is cut regularly and not on the lowest setting. Some owners prefer to collect grass cuttings on areas close to the house to be certain that children or pets don’t carry them inside, they then use the mulching facility on all the other areas.
Switching between collection or mulch modes is extremely simple and takes less than a minute. To switch into mulch mode just remove the collector, insert the *mulching plug into the discharge chute and replace the collector. To return to collection simply reverse the procedure.